


why him (and why not me)

by riptide_anaklusmos



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, F/M, Post-The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson), Pre-The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson), This is, connabeth - Freeform, grover is the only sane character and i stand by that, if you don't know what that is go through the connabeth tag on tumblr, it's worth it trust me, jealous!Percy, not fluff lmao, percabeth, they argue in this and i think the dialogue is kinda funny lol, well at least not percabeth fluff, you probably won't but whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26962504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riptide_anaklusmos/pseuds/riptide_anaklusmos
Summary: Ever since their quest in the labyrinth, Annabeth has distanced herself from everyone. From Chiron, from Clarisse and Silena, from Grover. But especially Percy and Connor. With Percy, she just couldn’t even be in the same room as him without wanting to punch him and kiss him at the same time. And Connor. She couldn’t look him in the eyes without feeling guilty about what happened to Luke.orPercy and Annabeth are fighting. Annabeth goes to her other best friend, and Grover tries to get Percy to talk about what's wrong.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Connor Stoll, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 19
Kudos: 102





	why him (and why not me)

**Author's Note:**

> blame ash

Ever since their quest in the labyrinth, Annabeth has distanced herself from everyone. From Chiron, from Clarisse and Silena, from Grover. But especially Percy and Connor. 

With Percy, she just couldn’t even be in the same room as him without wanting to punch him and kiss him at the same time. She wanted to scream at him for choosing Rachel over her, but she understood why he did it. Rachel was everything she wasn’t, and apparently, that’s what Percy wanted. She was nice, and Annabeth was mean. She was creative, and Annabeth was wise. But most importantly, she was mortal, and Annabeth was far from it. If she really wanted to, she could change everything about herself to be what Percy wanted her to be. But she wasn’t that girl, no matter how much she cared about Percy. So instead, she just watched as Percy fell for Rachel and got angrier by the day. 

And Connor. She couldn’t look him in the eyes without feeling guilty about what happened to Luke. Connor’s big brother was gone, and it was her fault. Every time she saw him, she saw Luke. They had the same smirk and gleam in their eyes when they were about to get into some kind of trouble. It hurt to look at him, but it also hurt not seeing him. That’s why Annabeth found herself wandering around camp, looking for Connor. 

She found him attempting archery with a few other Hermes kids. 

“I see your archery is just as bad as it was when you first came to camp,” she said from behind him. 

Connor turned around and grinned when he saw where the voice came from. “Says you, Chase. At least I didn’t almost kill Travis.” 

“You did, but okay.” 

Connor just laughed, put his bow and arrow down, and turned to face her completely. 

“Hey,” he said, smiling. 

“Hi,” she whispered shyly. 

They stood there staring at each other until there was a crash from a new camper’s arrow. 

“So, uh,” Annabeth said. “Can we talk?” 

“Yeah, of course. Wanna go to the beach? I know you love it there.” 

“Not so much anymore.” 

“Why not?” 

“Some other people found it, and I’ve never been good at sharing.” 

“I know,” Connor nodded, giving her a sad smile. 

“C’mon, idiot. Let’s go to the strawberries fields.” 

Annabeth grabbed Connor’s hand and started walking towards the fields. Connor followed her like he always did, and he always would. 

;; 

“So are we gonna talk about what’s wrong, or are you gonna keep sitting here sulking?” 

Percy looked up at Grover, who was looking at him expectantly. They were sitting outside Percy’s cabin. He had chores to go through some papers for Chiron, and he asked Grover to keep him company. 

“What are you talking about?” Percy asked. 

Grover sighed. “Dude, seriously? You’ve been moody for weeks. You know I love you, and I’m more than happy to keep you company, but I’m also more than happy for you to finally tell me what’s up with you.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Percy said slowly, looking back down at the papers he hasn’t been sorting. 

Grover sighed but said nothing else until a few more minutes had passed. 

“Just go talk to her, man.” 

Percy’s head snapped up as he stared at his best friend in shock. “Who?” he asked, but a beat too late. They both know who, the one person Percy hasn’t talked to in weeks. Who he’s been avoiding like the plague. Though, it hasn’t been too hard, as she’s been avoiding him as well. 

“Who do you think, Perce?” 

“I—I can't.” 

“Why not? You’re miserable. She’s miserable. Can you both stop being miserable and make out already? This is exhausting for everyone involved.” 

When Percy didn’t immediately respond, Grover looked up to see him blushing and avoiding his gaze. 

“What…” Grover began to say, before clapping a hand over his mouth. “Shut the fuck up! You kissed her?!” 

“No! Well, kinda. But, no! Technically… technically she kissed me.” 

Grover rolled his eyes. “Why does she always have to make the first move?” 

“Hey, don’t start! This was the first move that was even made. It’s not my fault she kissed me. If I’d known she liked me back, I totally would’ve kissed her first!” 

“You wouldn’t have, but good try.” 

“Grover,” Percy whined. “Just, please, tell me what to do here. I’m so lost and I— I can’t lose her. I’m so scared I’m gonna lose her.” 

“Percy,” Grover said softly. “You’re not going to lose her unless you keep ignoring her. She cares about you so much.” 

“She cares about Luke more,” Percy said bitterly. 

“Look, man. I’m not even going to pretend I understand Luke and Annabeth’s relationship. It’s complicated and messy, and if it goes or has ever gone anything past platonic, it’s _illegal_.” 

“Not helping,” Percy muttered darkly. 

“But,” Grover continued. “What she feels for him, whether she knows it or not, is _nothing_ compared to what she feels for you. She would choose you over him in a heartbeat. She _has_ chosen you over him.” 

“When?” 

Grover pursed his lips. “It’s not my place to tell. But, if you actually talked to her, maybe you’d find out.” 

Percy stood up, papers forgotten, and said, “You’re right. I need to talk to her. Thank you so much, G-Man. I owe you.” 

“Finally,” Grover muttered as he watched Percy walk away. “That took _way_ too long.”

;; 

Connor and Annabeth have been sitting there in silence for about ten minutes. He knew better than to push her to talk, but he really did want to hear what she had to say. He missed her. A lot. 

“Did I ever tell you what happened with Luke, down in the Labyrinth?” she asked. 

“No. But I’m happy to hear if you wanna talk about it.” 

Annabeth laughed, but not the laugh Connor loved. A humorless laugh that made him want to reach out and hold her hand. He didn’t. 

“I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted. She sounded exhausted. 

“Start wherever’s easiest,” he said softly. 

So she told him everything. About Percy seeing Luke in the coffin, and how he wasn’t even him anymore. About how, when Rachel hit him with the hairbrush, there was a split second where he was just Luke again. But of course, no one believed her. When she finished telling him the rest, he stayed quiet for a minute, trying to take it all in. 

“I—I am _so_ sorry,” Annabeth said, her voice breaking. 

“Hey, hey. Come here.” Connor reached for Annabeth, pulling her into his chest, and letting her sob. “Why are you apologizing?” 

“It’s all my fault. I couldn’t save him.” 

“Annabeth,” he said softly. “No one could’ve saved him. Luke’s been like this for… for longer than any of us, including you, have known. And I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but he really does love you.” 

Annabeth sobbed harder at that. “He tried to kill me, like, multiple times.” 

Connor laughed at that. “Yeah, but if he really wanted you dead, you would be. Like Percy, that’s someone he _really_ wants dead.” 

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say because Annabeth started crying harder than Connor’s ever seen. Harder than when she used to cry about being homesick. Harder than when she used to cry about her dad and how much she hated but missed him. 

“He _hates_ me.” 

Connor laughed mirthlessly. “He does _not_ hate you. He’s hopelessly in love with you, but he’s too much of a coward to say anything.” 

Annabeth pulled away and looked at him. “I need to tell you something.” 

“Okay?” 

“In Mount Saint Helens, before he—before it erupted…” 

“Yeah?” 

“I—I kissed him,” she said. 

Connor’s chest felt heavy, like there was a weight on it. In a way, there was. The weight of knowing how deeply in love Annabeth is with Percy, and how all he’s doing is hurting her. 

He took a deep breath. “Okay. And is that a good thing or a bad thing?” 

“I _thought_ it was a good thing. But then he got sent to Calypso’s island, and the second he was back here, he said we needed a mortal on _my_ quest. So now, I don’t even know what to think.” 

“I’m really sorry, Annabeth,” he said, and he truly meant it. 

“Can you—can you just hold me for a bit?” 

So he did. He put his arm around Annabeth, and she put her head on his shoulder, and they sat in the strawberries fields, reeling from the feeling of unrequited love. 

;; 

“Annabeth!” 

She stiffened in Connor’s arms when she heard her name get called. She realizes now that he hasn’t spoken to her in weeks, let alone said her name. _I missed it_ , she thinks. 

“Percy?” she said. 

He finally ran into view, looking slightly out of breath but gorgeous all the same. 

“Hey! I was looking for you and…” He trailed off when he saw who she was with, specifically their positioning. “Uh, hey, Connor.” 

“Hi, Percy,” he replied awkwardly. 

Annabeth stood up and stood directly between the two boys. “Did you need something?” she asked, not maliciously, but also not exactly sounding like she wanted to hear the answer to the question. 

“Yeah, uh, can we talk?” Percy asked. 

“Yes! I mean, um, of course.” Annabeth glanced at Connor, who was staring at the ground with a clenched jaw. “Connor? Do you mind, uh…” 

Connor stood up. “Yeah, sure. No problem. I’ll just, um, go. I guess.” 

He turned to walk away, but quickly grabbed Annabeth’s hand and squeezed, giving her a smile. Annabeth smiled back, and Connor dropped her hand and walked away. 

“So, what’s up?” she asked. But when she turned back to Percy, he was staring at the space Connor recently occupied, jaw clenched, and dark eyes. 

“I didn’t know you and Connor were close,” he said. 

“Uh, yeah. We’ve been best friends since we were kids and he first came to camp, you knew that.” 

Percy only hummed in response, still staring at the ground. 

“What’s that hum supposed to mean?” Annabeth asked, crossing her arms. 

“Nothing,” Percy said. “Just didn’t know you had a type.” 

“ _Excuse me?_ ” Annabeth said. 

“Oh, you know,” Percy said with a shrug of his shoulders that made Annabeth wanna punch him. “First Luke, then Connor. Guess you got a thing for Hermes kids, huh?” 

“Fuck you,” Annabeth spat. “As if you have any right to come in and lecture me about my love life.” 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” 

“You’re right, sorry. I forget all the girls come easy to you. Rachel just pops up at the Hoover Dam, then again at your new school, then _again_ when you need her on my quest. And Calypso, of course.” 

“Don’t,” Percy warned. 

“Ooh, struck a nerve,” Annabeth said harshly. “Was she as pretty as all my myths say she is? Of course she is, if she got you to stay there for weeks after I—after Mount Saint Helens exploded.” 

“Is that what this is all about?” 

“Please, I couldn’t care less about Calypso.” 

“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Annabeth said, but a moment too late. Though it still wasn’t direct, this was the first time they acknowledged the kiss. But Annabeth, of course, wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her vulnerable, so she spoke again. 

“I’m not the one who brought a mortal on _my_ quest.” 

Percy scoffed. “At least she’s legal.” But the second it left his mouth, he immediately regretted it. 

Annabeth stilled for a moment but regained her composure. “Go to hell,” she said darkly. 

“See you there,” he said with just as much venom. 

“And leave Connor out of this, he did nothing wrong.” 

“You’re the one who just said his name, Wise Girl.” 

The nickname stung, but Annabeth wasn’t about to back down now. “You started this whole thing by saying his name, actually. Or are you too much of a Seaweed Brain to remember?” He wasn’t the only one who could use the nickname that meant so much to both of them as a taunt. 

“I was just pointing out an observation. You have a type.” 

“Oh yeah? What’s your type then?” 

For the first time in weeks, Percy looked her in the eye. This whole time, he’s been actively avoiding them. When gray met green, Percy felt this hatred settle at the bottom of his gut. Not for her, but for himself. For the way that he said words he didn’t mean. For trying to hurt her in the way she hurt him. Because when he looked into her eyes and saw Annabeth blinking back tears, all he could do is hate himself for hurting the girl he fell in love with. 

_You._ Percy opened his mouth (whether or not he would say that, he didn’t know), but Annabeth stepped back. 

“Don’t,” she whispered. 

“Annabeth.” Percy reached for her, but she took another step back. Percy didn’t dare follow. 

“You don’t get to do that. Not anymore.” 

Percy just looked at her and nodded. He expected her to slap him, or at least walk away. 

“Look, Percy,” she said. “I still… I still care about you. And I know you still care about me, but I can’t keep doing this. We need space. At least until we can stand in the same room without saying things we don’t mean.” 

Annabeth brushed passed him but turned around at the last second. “Goodbye, Percy.” 

“Bye, Annabeth.” 

When Annabeth walked away, they both felt a tiny tug on their heart before it shattered, leaving them to have to pick up the pieces once again. 

**Author's Note:**

> oops. yeah that was. not like most of my fics. but honestly i had a lot of fun writing this and i think everything they said to each other, though harsh, was pretty valid. i hoped you guys enjoyed reading! connabeth nation rise 😌


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